WWF Adria is one of the leading nature conservation organizations in the Western Balkans, dedicated to biodiversity protection, sustainable natural resource management, and strengthening community resilience to the impacts of climate change. Through science-based work, advocacy, and strong partnerships, WWF Adria addresses the most serious environmental challenges of our time—shaping public policies, strengthening civil society capacities, and developing innovative solutions that protect both people and nature.
One of the flagship initiatives in this field is the “Safe Nature and Climate” project, designed to address the growing threats to ecosystems, biodiversity, and local communities posed by climate change and unsustainable practices. The project focuses on strengthening institutional and local foundations for action in the areas of environmental protection and climate change across the region, with financial support from the European Union.
Supporting local environmental organizations lies at the very core of effective action on the ground. These organizations best understand the specific environmental and social contexts of their communities and therefore play a crucial role in driving change. Through targeted funding, knowledge exchange, and partnership programs, WWF Adria strengthens their participation in public policy development, monitoring of natural resources, and the implementation of solutions tailored to local needs.
Over the past four years, a total of 41 projects have been implemented, with overall investments in civil society amounting to €500,000. The results encompass a wide range of innovative and impactful activities—from the development of new regulatory frameworks, participatory monitoring, and local nature conservation and climate action initiatives, to educational programs, large-scale awareness-raising campaigns, and initiatives that have led to concrete legal changes at the local level.
Local initiatives from Paraćin, Užice, Novi Pazar, Pirot, Kragujevac, Kraljevo, and many other cities now benefit from renewed support for their activities, strengthening community resilience and fostering coexistence between people and nature.
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Through the “Safe Nature and Climate” project, WWF Adria has built a strong bridge between local initiatives and the broader regional and European policy framework. The results and experiences achieved so far were also presented at the third Environmental Policy Forum “Local Solutions for (Inter)national Policies,” held in November this year.
The Forum brought together representatives of civil society, policymakers, climate and nature conservation experts, and numerous representatives of international institutions and organizations. The central focus was clear—strengthening local capacities and identifying sustainable, inclusive solutions that connect local initiatives with national and regional environmental protection and climate resilience policies.
Hari Osting, Acting Director of the Conservation Program at WWF Adria, highlighted the importance of local organizations as key drivers of change, whose work directly contributes to improving policies, enhancing natural resource management, and strengthening community resilience to the impacts of climate change.
The first panel, “Locally Led Biodiversity Conservation,” emphasized the irreplaceable role of local actors in nature protection and sustainable resource management. Initiatives were presented that aligned local policies with EU directives, developed models of sustainable forest management, used drones and modern technologies to monitor environmental conditions, and established networks of organizations managing freshwater protected areas and ecological corridors. Participants also pointed to challenges, such as the inertia of certain local authorities, which often hinder the implementation of changes in the interests of nature and citizens.
The panel “Raising Public Awareness and Engaging Local Communities” focused on communication, education, and citizen involvement. Campaigns reaching more than two million people were presented, along with the development of mobile applications for reporting environmental issues and educational programs targeting young people, women, minority groups, and other vulnerable populations. It was concluded that informed and empowered communities are the key to longterm change and to building a culture of care for nature.
Within the third panel, “Local Climate Action,” the focus was on concrete local responses to climate challenges—from developing local environmental protection plans and participatory models for managing climate risks to specific actions such as preventing the construction of small hydropower plants in sensitive areas. Models of sustainable agriculture and rural development aligned with the EU Rural Pact were also presented, along with studies on microplastics and initiatives linking climate change to human rights issues.
– Local organizations are the backbone of change—they understand community needs, identify risks on the ground, and develop solutions that are at the same time innovative, comprehensive, and inclusive, Osting emphasized, expressing his hope that the Forum will continue to serve for many years as a central meeting point for civil society organizations across Serbia.
Prepared by: Milena Maglovski
The story was published in Energy portal Magazine RESPONSIBLE BUSINNES
